Subic Bay Freeport - WENDY, a rescued green sea turtle has been released back to her natural habitat by the animal care team of Ocean Adventure after nursing her back to health.

Robert Gonzaga, SBMEI’s Corporate Communications Director, said that Wendy had undergone a medical procedure to remove a hook stuck in its throat and a wounded right flipper.

The sea turtle was turned over weeks ago to the Wildlife in Need animal rescue center by fishermen from Danacbunga village in Botolan, Zambales after they found her with a fishhook stuck in her neck.

“After allowing time for Wendy to heal, the release was made with the guidance of DENR region 3 and Ocean Adventure's animal care team. This is part of our advocacy, and we work in tandem with the Philippine government to address environmental issues also." Gonzaga said.

The management team of SBMEI and hotel guests participated in the release Thursday (March 30) of the rescued green sea turtle which was the culminating activity for the formal launch of Camayan Beach Resort's new swimming pool.

"This is something new in store for guests and tourists alike who will visit Camayan Beach Resort Hotel this summer, a swimming pool with a great view of the bay," said the Ocean Adventure in a statement.

Adjacent to Camayan's the Reef Restaurant, the brand new pool has a total area of 116 square meters, with a depth from 3 to 5 feet, and is just a stone's throw away from Subic bay.

Scott Sharpe, President and CEO of Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium Inc. (SBMEI), the company that runs Ocean Adventure and Camayan Beach resort, said that the construction of the swimming pool is part of the company's offerings for the summer season.

Sharpe said that Camayan Beach and Ocean Adventure has been '' a cornerstone tourism attraction for the last 16 years", a testament to the enduring appeal of Southeast Asia's first and only open water Marine Park and beauty of the resort.

"We've been working on this project for 40 years, and it took the founders 25 years to find this site, and now it has turned into something that Filipinos can be proud of and enjoy at the same time. " he said.

"We have a lot of things to offer our guests, and activities that they can engage in here, including aquasports, and diving the shipwrecks of Subic Bay. Recently, we expanded the Camayan beach, installed shower stalls and added cabanas, and we can now accommodate more than 1500 people on the beach. We also have a new coffee shop, the Turtle's nest." Sharpe added. (RFD,SNL/MPD-SBMA)

Local tourists and resort staff watched as others take pictures with their mobile phones of Wendy, an Olive Ridley sea turtle, being released back to the sea after she underwent wound treatment at the Ocean Adventure marine theme park in Subic Bay Freeport zone. The rescued sea turtle was turned over weeks ago to the Wildlife in Need animal rescue center by fishermen from Danacbunga village in Botolan, Zambales after it was found with a fishhook stuck in its neck. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)